My question for all of you out there is how many of you started or have paid your dues in a helpdesk job or one that is similar and how did you get out of that position? Did it actually give you experence that future employeers are looking for? I just have a bad feeling that I am waisting some of my knowledge her at a helpdesk that the main job is to reset passwords and to send the rest to high level support.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

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Don
Helpdesk slogan
"Does anybody know how to read a manual?" Dogbert

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You gotta start somewhere, employers aren't going to hire you if you have Nil experience on your resume.

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Peace Out
-=PotatoHead=-
A+, CNA, MCP, MCSA, Net+

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These days you need a BS degree, 2 yrs of industry
experience for a basic help desk job (certs are a plus, in addition). Stick with it for now. You have many years ahead of you for bigger & better things.

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Nick

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All of us had to pay our dues and progress further, help desk is not the most wanted position, but it does help you out in the future. Also do some consulting on the side and try to cover the experience that helpdesk is not providing.

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Let The Games Begin!

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quote:

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Originally posted by NickL
These days you need a BS degree, 2 yrs of industry experience for a basic help desk job (certs are a plus, in addition).

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NickL it's a good job that's not the case in the UK - no one would ever get a job - degrees are for the privleged few and you won't see them on an help desk but you would normally see them in the Board Room!!

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One Exam leads to another! Where will it ever end?

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I had a helpdesk manager (or supposed helpdesk manager) who knew only how to turn on a pc. That person ended up getting out of the I.T industry altogether. That was the best career move that person ever made.

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Everyone has to start out at the bottom. The experience you get will look good on your resume to any future employers .

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Thanks for the replys. I realize everyone has to pay their dues. I just wanted to make sure that it was going to give me the experience that higher level jobs are looking for.
Thanks Again for the replys

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Don
Helpdesk slogan
"Does anybody know how to read a manual?" Dogbert

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I should say we are still lucky than others that we are already put our foot in the door. I am doing help desk job for almost 7 months and what we are doing is reset the password, reboot the servers, restart the services, performed regular back ups, etc. But, my employer is encouraging us to do some tasks beyond our job description as help desk. More exposures to different troubleshooting skills mean better for us as we gained experience from it....which is the way towards becoming a full pledge system engineer or administrator....

I am giving myself a time frame say 2 yrs. and if nothing happens here ...that's the time that I have to think of something else. It's good that I have a BS degree in Accounting and working towards my Net+, Server+ and MCSE or CCNA...

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Pinoytech
A+, Network+
Alexandria, VA

"Even if your in the right track but you were just sitting, you'll get run over".

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I spent a couple of years at the help desk and got enough experience & knowledge from that so I was qualified for a PC Support Specialist position that opened up in my company. I did PC Support for several years, also learning about the network and our AS/400 system and how everything worked together and that prepared me for my current job which is Computer Operations Supervisor.

It might take a while, but the time you spend on the help desk isn't wasted. Things moved pretty quickly for me because we're such a small shop (175+ internal users and 1,200+ external users), but YES it can help get you the higher level jobs! Good luck!

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Cathy V., A+

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